• ABOUT
  • ADVERTISE
  • SUPPORT
  • CONTACT
  • WORK
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Shanghaiist
8 °c
Shanghai
7 ° Sat
6 ° Sun
6 ° Mon
5 ° Tue
5 ° Wed
9 ° Thu
  • NEWS

    Trump praises China’s use of death penalty for drug dealers, implies that the US should follow suit

    Chinese billionaire calls Australia a “giant baby” after having his permanent residency revoked

    Air NZ flight to Shanghai was forced to turn back because of Taiwan reference in paperwork

    China releases video of Uighur musician to show he wasn’t tortured to death in re-education camp

    On mock cooking show, Taiwan premier trolls China with Winnie the Pooh doll

    China does even worse than usual in latest global freedom ranking

    “Exploitation.” Awkward translation faux pas spotted at China-Africa friendship event

    US hits Huawei with 23 criminal indictments for violating Iran sanctions, stealing trade secrets

    Canada’s ambassador to China fired after making more controversial comments about Meng Wanzhou case

    George Soros calls Xi Jinping the world’s “most dangerous opponent” to open societies

    Bing is back! Microsoft’s search engine is no longer blocked in China

    Chinese meat giant’s stocks surge after founder returns home following 3-year “disappearance”

    Canada’s ambassador to China says Meng Wanzhou has a “strong case” for fighting extradition

    China has blocked Bing

    Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun detained in China

    McDonald’s accused of supporting Taiwan independence with “controversial” commercial

    Massive sky corridor connected atop four skyscrapers in Chongqing

    Huawei founder says his company does not spy for China and would refuse if Beijing asked

    China issues travel alert of its own, warning its citizens about visiting Canada

    Canada issues China travel warning after Canadian is sentenced to death for drug smuggling

  • L!FE
  • FOOD
  • GALLERY
  • VIDEO

    This is what a ¥10,000 seafood dinner looks like in Guangzhou

    WATCH: Heroic firefighter drags burning gas cylinder out of house

    WATCH: How to run a tea scam at Starbucks

    WATCH: Dude writes Chinese calligraphy on stone with power grinder

    WATCH: Rodrigo Duterte, Kim Jong-un impersonators mobbed in Hong Kong

    WATCH: Incredible synchronized performance from Shaolin students at this year’s Spring Festival Gala

    WATCH: Aerial footage of massive 5 km long traffic jam on Guangdong expressway during CNY rush

    PLA soldiers celebrate Chinese New Year by forming the shape of Peppa the Pig

    Photography Friday: An interview with Huang Xiaoliang

    Hangzhou hotel opens up hot pot-style hot spring for hungry guests

    Boy puts lit fireworks down manhole cover, blows up sidewalk

    Meet the kids who grew up in Chinese restaurants

    WATCH: Apple marks Chinese New Year with short, sweet film shot by Jia Zhangke on an iPhone XS

    Chinese internet falls in love with big fluffy emotional support dog on passenger plane

    WATCH: Bull escapes slaughterhouse, charges woman in restaurant

    WATCH: Aerial footage of Wuhan’s mindblowingly massive bullet train maintenance center

    WATCH: Shanxi principal replaces boring morning exercise routine with super cool dance moves

    WATCH: Laowai rents a Chinese dad

    WATCH: Chinese passersby get asked if they live in a democratic country

    Space-saving inclined parking lot opens for business in Chongqing

  • EVENTS
    • DINING
      • BRUNCH
      • AFTERNOON TEA
    • NIGHTLIFE
      • LADIES’ NIGHT
      • HAPPY HOUR
      • MUSIC
    • EXHIBITIONS
      • ART SHOWS
      • TRADE FAIRS
    • COMMUNITY
    • EDUCATION
    • ★ LIST YOUR EVENT
    • ★ BE A VENUE PARTNER
    • ★ SUBMIT A GALLERY
  • TICKETS
    • FAQ
No Result
View All Result
Shanghaiist
No Result
View All Result
Shanghaiist
No Result
View All Result

Belgian couple run out of money during honeymoon trip through China, have to ask locals for help

by Kenneth Tan
May 5, 2018
in News

belgian_couple.jpg
You need quite a lot of courage to travel in a totally foreign country, one other thing you need though — money.
A Belgian couple learned this lesson the hard way. They may have had enough bravery and determination to travel through China, but lacked the funds, and ended up having to ask locals for handouts.
24-year-old newlyweds, Royer and Vertiest, both fresh out of university, decided on making a honeymoon trip to China with a budget of just 4,000 yuan. Arriving in the Middle Kingdom on June 12, they didn’t understand a single word of Chinese. However, by hitchhiking on the roadside they managed to travel through Beijing, Datong and Suzhou, before finally ending up getting lost outside of Chongqing with just 1,100 yuan left in their pockets, Shanghai Daily reports.
They had no alternative but to flag down a passing driver and show him a handwritten sign reading: “Please help us go to Zhangjiajie, we don’t have any money. Thanks!”
belgian_couple_2.jpg
Due to the language barriers, the driver instead called the police, hoping that they could help Royer and Vertriest. Officers took the couple back to the station and provided them with food and drinks.
After listening to their story, officers even helped them by writing down some more clear messages in Chinese:
belgian_couple_3.jpg
1. We are from Belgium, and we are going to take the K1077 train (23:58) on July 5 from Chongqing to Xiushan.
2. We want to go to Zhangjiajie from Xiushan, please tell us how to get there. Thanks!”

Chinese netizens have had less sympathy for the foreign couple. “They should have carried $4,000; not 4,000 RMB,” they argued.
Courage alone can take you only so far, you also need to do a bit of planning. This Belgian couple should learn from this American one that is carefully mapping out a walk across China, from north to south; or maybe from this father-and-son duo about traveling on a tight budget.
By Sophie Wang
[Images via Shanghai Daily]

Share this:

  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • Print
Shanghaiist

© 2005-2018 Shanghaiist - China in bite-sized portions!

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Join the Community
  • List Your Event
  • Be a Venue Partner
  • Submit a Gallery
  • Work with us
  • Privacy & Terms
  • Contact

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS
  • L!FE
  • FOOD
  • GALLERY
  • VIDEO
  • EVENTS
    • DINING
      • BRUNCH
      • AFTERNOON TEA
    • NIGHTLIFE
      • LADIES’ NIGHT
      • HAPPY HOUR
      • MUSIC
    • EXHIBITIONS
      • ART SHOWS
      • TRADE FAIRS
    • COMMUNITY
    • EDUCATION
    • ★ LIST YOUR EVENT
    • ★ BE A VENUE PARTNER
    • ★ SUBMIT A GALLERY
  • TICKETS
    • FAQ

© 2005-2018 Shanghaiist - China in bite-sized portions!